Guinness celebrates Maurice's 50 years of volunteering at Castlegregory GAA

Celebrating the everyday GAA volunteer willingly to give their time in communities across Ireland all year round not just for the All-Ireland!

As the 2017 GAA All-Ireland Senior Championships enter the final stages, Guinness has launched its latest TV advertising campaign, 'Behind Every Great Town'. The captivating film celebrates the everyday GAA volunteers, who willingly give their time in communities across Ireland all year round.

From mowing the pitch and setting out sideline flags to raising money and keeping clubs funded, this heartwarming new video from Guinness celebrates the very best of the GAA community spirit and the volunteers who dedicate their time all for the love of their club. Read more about the fantastic volunteers here: http://bit.ly/2vSOjnd

From mowing the pitch and setting out sideline flags to raising money and keeping clubs funded, this heartwarming new video from Guinness celebrates the very best of the GAA community spirit and the volunteers who dedicate their time all for the love of their club.

The advertisement features four-real GAA volunteers from Castlegregory, County Kerry, Inishbofin, County Galway, Slaughtneil, County Derry and Ongar, Dublin 15. Together, they represent the thousands of people throughout the Island of Ireland who find enrichment, enjoyment and a sense of community by immersing themselves in their local GAA club.

Maurice Spillane, Castlegregory GAA, County Kerry

Maurice Spillane has been helping as a volunteer with Castlegregory GAA Club for fifty years. He took on the role of Chairman of Castlegregory GAA Club at the age of 23 and has been helping out ever since. Maurice has also been treasurer, helped to run the GAA Lotto, was senior player registrar and his block-building skills can be seen all over the re-developed Castlegregory GAA grounds, which was re-opened in 2003.

Speaking about his passion for the GAA, Maurice said; “The GAA was a social outlet for me as a young adult. I was quite shy growing up and the GAA helped me in a way to get the shyness out of me. I remember it was 1970, I was 23 years of age and I was asked to go to a GAA meeting in the old Pearse Memorial Hall in Castlegregory village. Things were bad with emigration at the time. It was the AGM and there were only five or six people at it. Somebody said to me, ‘Maurice, will you do chairman?’. Up to then, I had never been involved in any type of administration, but I said ‘OK’ and I’ve been knee deep it the club ever since.”